Aullwood Audubon Center (Blog Hike #142)

Trails: Center to Farm Trail, and others
Hike Location: Aullwood Audubon Center

Geographic Location: east of Englewood, OH (39.87364, -84.27440)

Length: 2 miles

Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: April 2004, June 2015

Overview: An interesting hike through many habitats that culminates at a working farm.

Park Information: http://aullwood.audubon.org/

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=167979
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: On the northwest side of Dayton, take I-70 to SR 48 (exit 29).  Exit and go north on SR 48.  Take SR 48 1.5 miles to US 40 and turn right on US 40.  Take US 40 across Englewood Dam to Aullwood Rd. and turn right on Aullwood Rd.  The center is located 0.4 miles from US 40 at 1000 Aullwood Rd.  The center is open 9am-5pm Monday through Saturday and 1pm-5pm on Sunday.  A small admission fee is charged to access the grounds.

The hike: There are many places in the Miami Valley to go if you are looking for a good trail to hike.  There are also a few places to go to see living history of our agricultural past.  But no place combines these attractions quite as well as Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm does.  A gift from Marie Aull in 1957, the National Audubon Society, a not-for-profit institution, now manages the 350 acres on the northwest side of Dayton.

            The grounds at Aullwood are divided into two areas.  The southern two-thirds are managed as a nature preserve and include an education/nature center, a wide variety of habitats, and an extensive trail system.  The northern part of the land is managed as a working organic farm where visitors can experience part of Dayton’s agricultural roots first hand by getting up close and personal with farm animals or watching daily agricultural tasks take place.  This is a great hike for kids, as the natural area will yield an introduction to the natural environment, and the organic farm will acquaint them with farm life of years gone by.

            With such an extensive trail system, a large number of day hikes are possible.  A 0.7 mile paved trail is handicapped accessible and departs from the nature center.  Someone wanting to just experience nature could plan a short 1-1.5 mile loop hike that would also originate at the nature center.  For the full treatment of the nature preserve and the farm, one would do best to consider the 2 mile hike described here.

Trailhead near Wright Brothers display

            From the front door of the nature center, circle to the right and look for an information board commemorating the Wright Brothers adventure into flight.  This area was erected in 2003 to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of their famous flight.  Although the flight itself took place in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, much of the work to make it possible took place right here in Dayton, Ohio.  Head to the right where a pair of markings 100 feet apart gives the distance of this first flight.  You are on the paved Wings Flights and Wrights trail heading south, away from the nature center.

            After 500 feet, the paved trail curves left to cross a bridge, but our hike leaves the pavement and continues to parallel the west bank of Wiles Creek, heading into the edge of a field known as Honeybee Meadow.  Only 200 feet later, a side trail exits to the right through the meadow, heading into nearby Englewood Metropark and coming out just below Englewood dam.  This description keeps you on Aullwood property by curving left and crossing Wiles Creek on a footlog.

Bluegill Pond

            Continue straight as the trail ascends slightly to arrive at Bluegill Pond, named for the numerous small bluegill fish that inhabit the pond.  A boardwalk over the pond allows you to look down into the water and see the fish for yourself.  Mallards and wood ducks also enjoy the stillness of the shallow pond, and a bench makes for a perfect spot for contemplation.

            Past the pond, two more right turns will lead you first through a small pine planting and then into the “wet woods.”  This spot is actually a bog, created when a creek flows into a flat area and its water disperses instead of flowing through a channel.  The trail remains dry thanks to an excellent trail construction that raises the trail about six inches above the surrounding bog.  Such a construction eliminates the need for extensive boardwalk construction as you might see at Cedar Bog, boardwalk that consistently needs repairs.  Notice the abundant amount of swamp fern in the understory along the trail.

Hiking along the prairie

            After exiting the bog, the trail passes through a short transition area before coming out along the edge of the tallgrass prairie.  The trail ascends gently with the prairie on the left and the park boundary on the right.  When I was here in mid-April, black charred ground could be seen from a controlled burn performed earlier that month to keep the surrounding forest from encroaching on the prairie.  My sources say that the prairie is thick and full of plant and insect life in late summer, though.  At the top of the hill is an observation tower where visitors can climb a single flight of steps for a commanding view of the surrounding prairie, and such a view is easily worth the climb.

View of prairie from observation tower

            From the tower, the trail drops gently to intersect the Center to Farm Trail which, as the name suggests, is the main trail linking the nature center and the organic farm.  Angle right on this trail to head to the farm.  Note that this hike could be truncated here by turning left and in 0.3 miles arriving back at the nature center.  Such a route would be only 1 mile long.

            Leaving Wiles Creek on the left, the trail climbs moderately through succession forest dominated by young, slender maples.  1.4 miles into the hike, the trail arrives at the edge of the farm, which it enters through a gate.  The cleverness of our ancestors is on display here, as a weight-and-pulley system will close the gate behind you. 

Approaching Aullwood Farm

            Head for the barn straight ahead with the sheep pen on the left.  Inside the barn, you will have opportunities to view and pet the various animals, which include goats, horses, cows, and pigs.  Don’t forget to check out the garden to see what is growing and the hen house to learn why rabbit cages are hung above the chickens.  On my visit, one of the goats had given birth only a week earlier, and I was able to watch volunteers at the farm give milk to the babies (through a bottle, of course).

Barn at Aullwood Farm

            When you have finished exploring the farm, retrace your steps back through the gate, and for a change of scenery, take the Shawnee Trail, which leaves the Center to Farm Trail to the right.  This trail descends rather steeply to the east bank of Wiles Creek, at which point it curves left and begins paralleling the creek.  Ignore a side trail that crosses the creek on stepping stones and continue hiking south to intersect the Center to Farm Trail.  Turn right and cross the creek on a bridge.  The trail now enters a cattail marsh called Muskrat Marsh on the park brochure.  While I did not see any muskrats, several frogs plopped into the water on my approach.  Another bench allows opportunity to view the pond and observe the wildlife.

            From the marsh, continue along the boardwalk back to more stable ground just north of the nature center.  100 feet later, intersect the paved Wings Flights and Wrights Trail, which enters from the left.  From this point, a short level hike will return you to the front door of the nature center.  If you did not do so before hiking, take a few minutes to browse the exhibits at the nature center, which provide good explanation and review of wildlife and plant life seen on the trail.